John Street parking rules change
By Rochelle Moore
Published in News on July 24, 2016 1:45 AM
Motorists who park in no parking zones in front of Torero's Mexican Restaurant or the Flying Shamrock could face fines following the recent adoption of a city ordinance.
City crews removed seven to nine parking spaces in June, prior to the planned addition of a pedestrian crosswalk along the 100 block of North John Street, said Marty Anderson, Goldsboro chief city engineer.
Several no parking signs have been posted on both sides of the road, but motorists continue to park in the newly marked no parking areas, Anderson said.
"I've seen a couple cars there, and there were a couple cars parked there, but you can't do anything about it without the ordinance," Anderson said. "There's signs up, too."
The Goldsboro City Council adopted an ordinance last week allowing for the areas along the 100 block of North John Street to be officially designated as no parking. The ordinance allows Goldsboro police to issue parking tickets, Anderson said.
Mayor Chuck Allen said drivers may be parking in the areas because they are not used to the change.
"I think they're not accustomed to it," Allen said.
Scott Stevens, Goldsboro city manager, said that police will likely provide initial warning notices before tickets are issued, in an effort to provide time for the public to adapt to the change. Stevens also said street curbs may be painted yellow to alert drivers of the change.
Councilman Bill Broadaway said many people ignore no parking signage, and said he recently noticed several illegally parked cars near the Wayne County Courthouse.
"I think we've got to start issuing tickets," Broadaway said.
The removal of parking spaces and addition of no parking areas were made in an effort to prepare for the addition of a new mid-block crosswalk. The parking spaces were removed as part of criteria set by the N.C. Department of Transportation.
"The whole thing in this is people are downtown and eating in the restaurants," Anderson said. "It's more of a safety thing."
City engineering staff are working with DOT in an effort to have the crosswalk approved.
Anderson said that the city may not meet some of DOT's standards, which include pedestrian and traffic counts that may be lower than the amount needed for DOT approval.
"I don't know if we're going to meet the criteria," Anderson told council.
Allen disagreed and mentioned the multiple crosswalks that exist in downtown Raleigh.
DOT has the ability to override the standards and approve the city request, Anderson said Wednesday.
"The main thing was they wanted to remove the parking in front of Torero's and the Flying Shamrock," Anderson said.
The 10-foot-wide crosswalk, which would be paid for by DOT, is planned to extend across North John Street, starting at the handicapped ramp near Torero's restaurant and continuing to the Flying Shamrock pub. The city also plans to add a new handicapped ramp near the Flying Shamrock.
Anderson is uncertain when DOT will make its decision.